06.26.06
The Legacy of the Flash
The Flash is second only to Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman when it comes to longest running series. Since 1940 there’s only been 5 years without a Flash. When it comes to comicbook legacy’s the Flash is second to no hero. Last Wednesday a new chapter in the legacy began, but before we get to that, let’s start at the beginning.
The Flash first raced through comicbook pages in 1940. At the time his name was Jay Garrick and he was the fastest man alive. Jay was a student at Midwestern University where he studied science, specifically the gases from “hard water”. One day while working in the lab Jay knocks over several containers and the fumes render him unconscious. A few days later in the hospital he discovers he’s got super speed. During his run Jay mostly fought common criminals, with one notable exception. In Flash Comics #104 a rival speedster was introduced, Dr. Edward Clariss, a chemistry teacher at Midwestern University. Wearing a darker version of the Flashes costume he used his temporary speed formula to commit crimes. This was the first evil speedster, but certainly not the last. For 11 years Jay wore the lightning bolt and his distinctive metal helm. In 1951, as interest in superhero comics died out, Flash was canceled.
In 1956 DC Editor Julius Schwartz asked Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino to revive the character of The Flash for Showcase #4. Schwartz wanted everything about the character to be different. Kanigher and Infantino came up with Barry Allen, police scientist. While working in his lab late one night lightning struck a shelf of chemicals dousing Barry. Barry took on a brand new costume and started fighting crime.
Barry was a very different Flash then Jay Garrick, the most notable difference however was Barry’s rogue’s gallery. To this day the Flash has one of the most colorful (in some cases very literally) and diverse groups of villains. The themes of the Flashes villains are pretty simple for the most part, Captain Cold uses a cold gun, Captain Boomerang uses trick boomerangs, Heatwave has a heat gun and Weather Wizard controls weather. That’s just a small sample of the Flashes villains though, and one of the more unique things about them is they would work together to rid themselves of the Flash. Another unusual thing about Barry is he was married, at the time a married super hero was unheard of.
In issue #139 Flash met the Reverse Flash, Eobard Thawne. The 25th century has a Flash of its own, but he’s the opposite of Barry Allen, right down to the color of his uniform. The Reverse Flash was Barry’s greatest enemy, he killed Barry’s wife, Iris West and tortured Barry for years using his knowledge of history to appear at the happiest times in Barry’s life. When Thawne returned to kill Barry’s fiancée, Fiona Webb, Barry did the only thing he could to save her, he kill Thawne. This lead to a storyline which would continue until the end of Barry’s series, the trial of the Flash for manslaughter. For me these issues have a very special meaning since these are the issues that not only got me interested in the Flash, but comics in general. In 1985, with issue #350 Barry Allen’s run as the Flash ended. Shortly thereafter, in crisis on Infinite Earths Barry was killed in action.
Shortly after Barry started his run as the Flash he was given a sidekick, Kid Flash, Wally West. Issue #110 of Flash Comics introduced us to Wally West, Iris West’s nephew, and the Flashes biggest fan. The Flash takes Wally to the scene of his own accident and demonstrates how he got his powers, going so far as to rearrange the chemicals exactly as they were the day he became the Flash. Just as he’s finished a lightning bolt hits the rack and douses Wally in the same chemicals. In a costume identical to Barry’s (but smaller) Wally began his three decade career as Kid Flash. In issue #135 of Flash Comics Wally gets his own costume (one of the coolest speedster costumes if you ask me). After Barry’s death Wally takes on the mantle of the Flash. For me this is the point where the Flash really becomes a legacy. Wally steps up and tries to fill the shoes of his mentor, he’s the first of the teen sidekicks to fulfill his potential and it’s not easy. With DC’s recent Infinite Crisis Wally has disappeared with his wife and their twin children. All we really know is they’ve gone to someplace good, that’s not the speed force. In the wake we’re left without a Flash, that was until last week.
Last week the fourth chapter in the legacy of the Flash started. Bart Allen, Barry’s grandson (he’s from the future but that’s another story entirely) will be stepping up to take the mantle of the Flash and this could be quite an interesting ride. The new series is written by Paul DeMeo and Danny Bilson (the guys responsible for the Flash TV series). The series has a strong start with excellent artwork. I can’t wait to see where this goes.
The legacy of the Flash is a rare one in comics. It’s a legacy that allows the character to grow and change. The Flash has been updated many times and they’ve laid the ground work for it happen again when the time is right. The legacy of the Flash is also a big part of what keeps the series going and lets the story move to new places. I’m interested to see the take on Bart Allen learning to fill Wally and Barry’s shoes. The journey to him becoming his own hero should be quite interesting and it’s looking like a fresh take on the scarlet speedster.
Patricia said,
May 16, 2007 at 7:45 am
I’ve been searching for information on The Flash on the web, but have found nothing specific. What examples from the comic books could be given that show instances when he had to react quickly when something needs to be done (any incarnations of The Flash). What was his personality like?
I have never read a comic book in my life but have been investigating the superheroes lately. Though there is a lot of general information on him, there seems to be so much less than on other superheroes.
Thanks for your help.
Patricia
tibbarerew said,
May 16, 2007 at 8:48 am
It can be hard to find info on the Flash unless you know where to look. If you want a fairly comprehensive resource on The Flash check out, http://www.hyperborea.org/flash Kelson Vibber is the guy who runs the site and he does a very good job of keeping it updated.
If you’re looking for some specific examples of Flash reacting quickly, there’s a fairly recent issue you can find fairly easily that shows both Wally West and Jay Garrick in action, it’s Flash Vol. 2 Issue #198. It’s also included in the trade paperback Flash: Blitz.
As for the personalities of the Flashes they are quite different. In a nut shell, Jay Garrick is the wise mentor, a role presented quite strongly in he Justice Societ of America series. Barry Allen was an all aroun nice guy, one of the first married superheroes and really just a strong moral compass. Wally was, for the first part of his run (no pun intended), a young man trying to fill Barry’s shoes. Over the course of his series he grew into a responsible, yet wise cracking, hero. Bart, the newest Flash, is a bit different, he started his carrier as Impulse and that really says a lot about his personality. Bart has never been one to really look at the results of his actions until recently.
Those are pretty general descriptions but give you a pretty good idea of where all the characters fall.
On another note, if you’re really interested in learning more about comics I’ve recently started doing a podcast specifically focused on providing background information for people who are new to comics or coming back to comics. Check it out at http://www.maximumgeek.org/comiccast . At the beginning of each episode (starting with episode 3) I’ll be answering listener questions before I dive into history and comic reviews. So if you have more specific questions I’ll be more than happy to answer the here, or there.